Atlanta police didn’t take any chances when a cannonball was unearthed by construction workers. That was likely a smart move, considering it contained black powder and small ball bearings, police said Friday.
Construction workers at the site of the future College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta found the cannonball Thursday afternoon, Atlanta police Sgt. Greg Lyon said.
The area at Marietta Street and Baker Street was temporarily closed as investigators were called to remove the device, believed to possibly be from the Civil War era.
Atlanta police contacted military personnel who examined the cannonball at a secure location, Lyon said Friday.
“It turns out it was filled with black powder and small ball bearings and [is] considered a live round,” Lyon said.
The Air Force took possession of the remains of the cannonball because it military property. No one was injured while the cannonball was being removed from downtown.
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